


The Headbands

by peachybean



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Blood and Injury, Episode: s03e02 The Headband, F/M, Kind of an au?, in one scene, reimagining an ep to suit my ship i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24277120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachybean/pseuds/peachybean
Summary: Toph follows Aang to the Fire Nation school. Shenanigans ensue. A reimagining of the episode 'The Headband'.
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong
Comments: 40
Kudos: 309





	1. Kuzon & Iroha

When Toph had felt Aang’s faint vibration suddenly leave the ground outside the butcher, she could not help but suddenly feel like something was very wrong. Panic set in, and she hastily ran from the butcher’s, leaving a confused Katara and Sokka behind as she chased the airbender down the road.

“ _Spirits, we should have not let Twinkletoes just stand around by himself outsid_ e!” Toph thought as she continued her pursuit, focusing on the Aang’s dancer-like steps as he seemingly blazed down the road. Leaving the Avatar unattended in the Fire Nation with just a flimsy piece of fabric covering his tattoo just seemed a rather stupid thing to do in retrospect, despite Toph knowing that Aang could take care of himself. Still though, he was recovering from injuries and they were in the Fire Nation. Someone – _me,_ she thought – should have stayed with him outside. Why did she go in the butcher’s anyway? It’s not like she could see the meat options, and she figured she’d eat whatever Katara placed in front of her. She tried to swallow the bitter guilt that was rising in her throat.

Suddenly, she felt his vibrations enter a large building with so many vibrations inside it felt a bit disorienting. Toph focused on Aang’s vibration – light and delicate, like the flap of a bird’s wings and its rapid little heartbeat. She picked it up in one of the rooms down the hall of the building. Adrenline pulsing through her veins, Toph ran down the hall and skidded into the room she felt the lilting presence of Aang in.

“Hey,” she began, pausing to regain her balance, “why did you leave without me and –“.

Aang’s eyes widened at the sudden entry of his Earthbending teacher and he felt himself tense up. She looked incredibly annoyed, her eyebrow arched skeptically, waiting for an answer. Toph’s clouded green eyes seemed to be boring into him. She might be blind, but she seemed to be staring right into him.

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Aang jumped in. Toph could hear a sort of agitation in his voice. “I didn’t mean to leave so suddenly, what happened was –“

“Enough!” A sharp and matronly voice cut through Aang’s, silencing him immediately. “My classroom is not the arena for your petty squabble. That’s your first lesson as my new students. Now please, tell the class your names.”

Toph’s eyes widened. “ _Classroom? Students? Oh no…no, no, no.”_ How had Aang ended up in school? She began to curse herself internally for following him. 

“My name is Kuzon.” Aang’s nervousness seemed to disappear, and Toph could sense the smile in his voice. She noted he didn’t use his real name. An alias was smart, especially for him. She decided she should use one too. “And this is…”

Toph realized that 15 pairs of eyes were probably staring right at her. She folded her arms across her chest, contemplatively. “I’m…”

 _“Well, I can’t say that I’m Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender that ever lived.”_ She concluded in her mind. “ _But I seriously don’t know many names, much less Fire Nation names!”_ She chewed her bottom lip for a second before suddenly it hit her – a Fire Nation name. Toph smiled at her own genius and composed herself internally. “I’m Iroh…” _Crap, Iroh was a man!_ “Iroh…a. Iroha.”

“Kuzon and Iroha, then?” The teacher repeated, arching her eyebrow skeptically at the two new students who stumbled into the room. She had not been expecting new students today, but it was possible the principal had simply not told her. Students enrolling and leaving happened fairly often as families were moved around by the war. She noted that Kuzon was wearing his uniform belt around his forehead and that Iroha was not wearing the uniform at all.

“Kuzon, the uniform belt is not to be worn as a headband.” The teacher stated. “Please wear it properly, or I will have to send you to the principal’s office.”

Toph felt Aang tense up at the teacher’s words. His heartbeat quickened as he took a deep breath.

“Actually,” he began carefully, “I have a scar…it’s really bad.”

The teacher looked him over and nodded curtly. “Very well, Kuzon. And you, Iroha? Why are you not wearing the uniform at all?”

Aang was not expecting what Toph said, nor was he expecting how easily the words seemed to fall from her lips.

“Oh,” Toph channeled Katara, coating her words in the sugary sweet tone that Sugar Queen was known for and smiled innocently, “I’m so sorry, I dressed myself today.” She moved her black bangs aside from her eyes and heard the class gasp. “I’m blind.”

Both the teacher and Aang sputtered as Toph continued, weaving an intricate explanation about hers and Aang’s characters. “Kuzon here is my…companion. He helps me with my daily life and keeps me company. He left home in such a rush that I had to guess what to wear!” She laughed, “I suppose I guessed wrong! Anyway, Kuzon’s mother practically dragged me here. That’s why I arrived here so out of breath.”

Aang was surprised at the ease and confidence with which Toph spun this detailed backstory for them. He was also surprised she jumped right to her blindness as the reason for her lack of uniform. Normally, Toph would never want to cite her blindness as a catalyst for anything. However, he supposed that in the spur of the moment and if he were in her unique position, he would not know what to say either.

The teacher nodded, seeming to accept Toph’s explanation. “Well…this is a unique set of circumstances indeed. However, we do need to begin class…” She looked out at the faces of her students, most of whom were looking at Toph with intrigue. The teacher could sense the excitement and questions buzzing amongst her students. “Iroha, do you require accommodations to sit in the front of the classroom?”

Toph rolled her eyes internally at the question, but plastered a simper on her face. She’d already cast her character as a sweet, innocent, blind girl, she might as well play the part.

“Oh no, teacher.” She began coyly, “Obviously, I can’t see any better in the front of the classroom than the back, but I can hear perfectly no matter where I am. It doesn’t matter to me where I sit.”

“Very well, then. You two may take the open seats in the back of the classroom.” Toph heard the scratch of chalk on the board as the teacher began to write something down, trying to begin the morning lesson after the surprise arrival of two unique students.

Aang bowed to the teacher and moved to scamper towards his seat in the back when he heard a cough from Toph.

 _Oh right,_ he remembered, _Toph’s tale. I’m Kuzon, Iroha’s companion now, and she ‘needs’ my help._

“Let me walk you to our seats, Iroha.”

Aang grabbed Toph’s hand, suddenly noticing how very small it was compared to his own. He felt her fingers hook around his own as he led her to their seats, thinking about how any other time, she would never let him, or anyone for that matter, guide her anywhere. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fanfiction I've written in about 6 years! Thank you to my friends who encouraged me to write this and thank you for reading :)


	2. First Day

The moment the teacher announced class was over for the day, a flock of students descended upon Toph and Aang.

“So, you’re really blind, Iroha?”

“What is it like being blind?”

“Where are you guys from? We get new students often, but never a _blind_ student!”

The gaggle of curious students leaned onto the pair’s desks, getting closer and closer with every question. Aang wasn’t even the one the questions were directed towards, yet he couldn’t help but feel like he was in an interrogation. He glanced at Toph to gauge her thoughts and noticed that, despite her smile, she was quickly growing increasingly annoyed and weary by the persistent questions. He saw the corner of her eye twitch slightly as she forced her smile to stop slipping from her face. _Toph is a really good actress_ , Aang decided. Normally, she would never entertain these kinds of questions about her blindness, but here she was smiling sweetly and providing answers to intrusive questions. Unfortunately, it probably came from years of practice concealing her true personality in her own home to please her overbearing parents.

“Yes, I really am blind. It’s like um…being blind. I was born this way.”

The students ‘oohed’ and pressed closer. Toph was used to being ignored by her parents and locked away because of her blindness, but being a show pony and an oddity to be ogled at because of it was a definite change. She wasn’t sure if it was a welcome change or not.

“As for where we’re from…” Toph paused as she quickly shuffled through the names of places she knew in her mind. _Gaoling, Ba Sing Se, the Si Wong Desert…do I seriously only know the names of places in the Earth Kingdom?!_ Toph’s parents had never bothered with having her taught geography, assuming she would never leave the safe confines of their manor, and once she was free, Toph herself had never bothered much with wanting to learn the names of the places they had been or were going. After all, she couldn’t read a map and couldn’t direct the group across the ocean or anything. Toph cursed herself internally and prepared to spit out some incoherent gibberish in hopes the nosy students would simply believe it was the name of her 100% real Ozai-supporting, Fire Nation hometown. As she opened her mouth, Aang smoothly cut in.

“We’re from the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom.” He smiled. “We only just arrived here in the mainland recently.”

 _Well, thank the Spirits Aang knows geography!_ Toph felt herself relax in her seat and she nodded in agreement. _Yep, I’m from the Fire Nation colonies! I certainly know things about that place, so ask away about it!_

“Wow, the colonies are pretty far away,” one boy remarked, “That’s basically a universe away from here.”

Aang nodded. He didn’t know much about the colonies himself and hoped no one would ask him about it.

“Well,” the boy grinned at Aang, “it’s really nice to have you here! My name is Sansu, by the way.” He gestured to the group of kids around them. “We were actually thinking about playing Hide and Explode today. Want to play?”

Aang nodded excitedly. He had never played Hide and Explode, but it sounded like something he and the real Kuzon would have played.

Next to him, Toph cheered. _Finally, some excitement after sitting in class all day!_

“Hide and Explode? Now THAT sounds like fun!” She couldn’t hide her smile as she cracked her knuckles against her opposing palm. “Count me in!”

The animated chatter around her suddenly died as the words left her lips. She didn’t need to see with her eyes to be able to tell there was a sudden unease and tension in the air. 

“Er...Iroha,” Sansu’s excitement seemed to drain as he spoke to her timidly **,** “I’m not so sure you’ll be able to play this game since um…you know.” He whispered the last part, seemingly afraid to say she was blind, as if it would offend her.

 _Right…they think that I’m a helpless blind girl._ Toph tried to quell her irritation.

“Oh, I was kidding around,” she tittered, quickly clasping her hands together, “Count me in is what I would say if I could play. Which I can’t…because I’m blind.” Toph almost bit her tongue saying the last part. Stating that she couldn’t do something because she was blind was the antithesis to who she was. A feeling of disgust swelled in her stomach.

Aang could tell that Toph was upset about being unable to play the game. As much as he wanted to play too, it wasn’t worth it to him at the cost of his friend’s happiness, especially considering that she was forced to claim that she couldn’t play because she was blind.

“We can go home if you want, Iroha.” Aang tried, feebly. He hoped he was succeeding in hiding his disappointment, but knowing Toph, she was probably seeing right through him.

_Yeah, I can tell Twinkletoes wants to play badly._

Toph shook her head. She really didn’t want to get in the way of Aang enjoying himself. He deserved to have some fun and relaxation, what with everything that had happened to him recently from losing and finding Appa – a memory that she could not help but continue to blame herself for – and him being shot with lightning by Azula. _Besides_ , she figured, _I’m sure if we were back in the cave, Katara would just make us do chores or something._ Toph decided she’d rather just sit around for a while than have Katara hover over her and boss her around.

“No, that’s alright Kuzon. My blindness shouldn’t stop you from having fun. I can wait.”

Aang was surprised, but grateful, as he’d been half-expecting Toph to just want to go back to camp to let loose. He threw his arms around Toph in a thankful hug. “Thanks, Iroha! We won’t be long, I promise!”

Toph hadn’t been expecting a hug. She tried to suppress the blush that was threatening to blossom on her cheeks as weakly hugged him back. He felt bony and fragile, like a baby bird.

 _Probably because he hadn’t eaten for literally weeks._ Toph thought. She decided she’d give up a portion of her food, _the VEGETARIAN portion_ , to Aang. He really needed to gain some weight back. She didn’t want to keep hugging a skeleton.

* * *

The class filed out of the classroom and to a grassy field behind the school. The game of Hide and Explode was set to begin.

“We can do something you want to do tomorrow!” Aang had yelled to her as he ran after the other players. “I promise!”

_Well, since he promised, I’m gonna pick something good! Mud wrestling? Pranking Sokka? Decisions, decisions…_

Toph sat down to think (and ultimately decided on both activities, because she could), but as time passed, she became painfully bored. She couldn’t earthbend to pass the time, nor could she simply leave as she was quickly wanting to. Dejectedly, Toph settled for sifting the dirt between her fingers as she sat on the bluff waiting for the game to be over. With her palm on the earth, she felt a gentle vibration approach her.

“Hi Iroha,” a girl’s voice cut through the silence, “Sorry, I hope I haven’t startled you!” The voice was gentle and saccharine, and it reminded Toph of Katara’s. She turned toward the voice.

“Don’t worry, you didn’t.”

“I’m relieved! I was a little worried that I might’ve.” The girl laughed lightly. “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

 _It’d probably look weird if I say “No”,_ Toph thought. She didn’t really want company, but found herself nodding anyway. The girl sat next to Toph, folding her knees under herself.

“My name is On Ji,” the girl supplied, “We’re in the same class. I’d wanted to greet you and Kuzon before, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you two, since all our classmates were so eager to talk to you.”

 _Eager is a huge understatement_ , Toph thought to herself as she remembered the small crowd gathered around her desk.

“Yeah, it was a bit…intense, but I understand. I suppose you’ve never had a blind girl in your class before.”

“No, and we’ve never had any students from the colonies before either.” On Ji stated. “You and Kuzon are definitely the most interesting new students that we’ve had in a long time.”

 _It’s more interesting to me that the Avatar is in your class and you dummies don’t even know it! That’s way more interesting than some blind girl from the colonies being in your class,_ Toph smirked to herself.

“That’s nice of you to say, On Ji.” she responsed, hoping she sounded gracious rather than mocking. “Have you ever been to the colonies?”

On Ji shook her head. “No, I’ve never actually left the main island. The furthest from home I’ve been is Royal Caldera City. I’d love to know what your life was like in the colonies though!”

On Ji’s question reminded Toph of the life she had run away from in Gaoling. Thinking about her parents made all sorts of weird and bitter emotions bubble inside her. Trying to suppress them, Toph snorted and flopped onto her back in the grass, facing the sky.

“My life was painfully boring.”, she answered, not bothering to hide the acidity in her voice, “I lived a really sheltered life because of my blindness. My parents didn’t allow me to do anything.”

On Ji nodded. Iroha’s frustration was apparent, and she couldn’t blame her.

“That sounds difficult…” On Ji began, not quite sure what to say. “But I’m glad that you have Kuzon. How did you meet?”

Toph briefly thought it’d be funny if she told the truth: _Kuzon told me that he met me in a vision in a magical swamp, but we met in person for the first time when he cheated at an Earthbending tournament I was competing in. Then, he broke into my house!_ She didn’t think On Ji would find it as hilarious, so she decided on a half-truth instead.

“Kuzon and his family visited my house one day.” _True._ “They ended up being hired by my family.” _Lie._ “Kuzon’s mom is…my nanny.” _Eh, maybe that’s a half truth._ Toph was sure that if Katara heard that she had been cast not only as Aang’s mom, but as a nanny, she would be less than thrilled. “Kuzon’s dad is our guard.” She thought Sokka would be okay with that. “And Kuzon is my companion. He goes places with me, guides me around, reads things for me – those kinds of things.”

On Ji nodded. “You and Kuzon must be very close!”

Toph paused. She wasn’t one for introspection, but On Ji’s exclamation made her think and reminded her of all the time she had Aang spent together, whether it be practicing Earthbending, joking around, and now, masquerading at a Fire Nation school. She remembered the boy who had insisted she was the Earthbending teacher he had been looking for, the boy who handed her the key to the gilded cage she was locked in. He was her first friend. A genuine smile graced Toph’s face.

“Yeah, he’s my best friend.”

On Ji beamed at the way Iroha lit up when she talked about Kuzon. _That is so cute!_

The pair sat and chatted until the Hide and Explode game had ended. On Ji had talked about herself, revealing to Toph that she was the only daughter of a local merchant family and the second of three children. She had an older brother who was an engineer in the Fire Nation army and a younger brother who was still too young for schooling. In Toph’s mind, most Fire Nation citizens were like Azula and her friends. It was weird to think that someone who was born and raised in the Fire Nation could be so…normal.

The last explosions from the game boomed in the distance and Toph could feel the stampede of vibrations rumbling towards her and On Ji. She sat up quickly, anticipating Aang’s return. As not annoying and terrible as talking to On Ji had been, Toph was getting exhausted and figured they had better return to Katara and Sokka soon.

_They’re probably freaking out, considering Aang and I both disappeared._

Toph sat up quickly, preparing to leave. This caused her headband that had been slipping off her head from laying down to slide completely off. Her bun, which had already been falling apart, because completely undone.

“Wow Iroha,” On Ji gasped, “your hair is so long!”

Long tresses of black hair tickled Toph’s cheek. Toph groaned. She usually kept her hair in a bun to keep it out of the way while she was Earthbending, but now it was hanging loose and getting tangled.

“Ugh, yeah. It’s kind of a hassle.”

“I think it’s really lovely!” Toph could hear the smile in On Ji’s voice as the other girl reached out to touch her hair. “I’m not sure I could put it back in a bun for you, but I could at least put it in a ponytail or braid it, just so it’s not winging out all over the place.”

Toph normally didn’t like people touching her hair, but something about On Ji reminded her of Katara. She sighed.

“Alright, just put it in a ponytail then. Nothing fancy.”

On Ji squealed and brushed Toph’s hair out with her fingers before tying it up with her uniform belt. She placed the fallen headband back on Toph, using it to push her bangs out of her face. “Aww Iroha, you look so cute!” On Ji grinned.

Toph felt exposed without her bangs covering her eyes, but admitted to herself that it was nice to not have her hair tickling her nose all the time. “I’ll take your word for it, On Ji.”

The stampede of their classmates was at the bottom of the hill now. Toph immediately picked Aang’s fluttery vibration out and felt it barrel up the hill quickly towards her.

“To-Iroha!” he shouted, “I’m ba-“ Aang’s voice caught in his throat when he saw Toph. He’d seen her dressed up and with her hair styled before, both at her home in Gaoling and Ba Sing Se. Both those times, however, she was also dressed like royalty and looked like a porcelain doll. With her traveling clothes on and her hair up and out of her face, she looked so different. _Toph looks so…cute!_

Aang shook his head, almost in disbelief that ‘Toph’ and ‘cute’ were in the same sentence in his mind. He hadn’t thought of her like that – like a girl – before. “I’m…I’m back.” He repeated. He couldn’t stop staring at her, causing On Ji to giggle.

“I can tell.” Toph could feel Aang’s heartbeat racing. _It normally only gets this fast around Katara,_ she thought. She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder as she stretched. “We should head home. Your mom is probably worried.”

Aang nodded as his mind raced. _Was Toph’s hair always this long? She should wear it like that more often…I bet Katara could style it for her! Oh, right, Katara! And Sokka!!_ “Oh, um, yeah, absolutely. I’m sure she’s super worried.” He extended his hand to her. “Let’s go then, Iroha?” His voice rose, making what he’d hoped sounded suave sound like he was asking a question.

Toph didn’t know what had gotten into Aang. Was he exhausted from the game? Did he think On Ji was pretty and that’s why he was acting like this? _Wait…does he think I’M pretty?_ She shook her head rapidly. _Ha, and I'm a platypus bear!_ Suppressing an eyeroll, Toph took Aang’s outstretched hand. He intertwined his fingers with her and squeezed her hand.

 _Her hands are so small!_ “Ready to go, Iroha?”

Toph felt her cheeks burn at the gesture. _His hand is pretty strong for being wimpy ol’ Twinkletoes…but ew, his hand is so sweaty._ Toph thought. _I'm probably feeling this way because his hand feels so hot._ Nevertheless, she squeezed his hand back tightly. “Yeah, I’m ready Kuzon.”

She let Aang lead her away, saying goodbye to On Ji as the pair left. On Ji waved and smiled, finding herself actually looking forward to school the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not a ship fic with Toph unless you make her change her hairstyle ; )
> 
> I know she only appears in this episode, but I really liked On Ji as a character. She helped Aang get acclimated to the school in canon, so I think she'd definitely try to be a friend to Toph as well.
> 
> Thank you to my friend who read this chapter for me before posting, and a big thank you to the lovely readers who reviewed and left kudos! Y'all encourage me to continue writing :)


	3. Second Day

Katara was worried.

Well, worried was an understatement. Katara was frantic.

When she and Sokka had left the butchers and found the two youngest members of the group missing, her mind began racing, barreling towards the worst possible scenarios. Had Aang been discovered and Toph captured trying to help him? Or was it the opposite, and Toph had been somehow surprised and kidnapped and Aang had gone after her? Oh spirits, what if they were in serious danger?

_They just wandered off. That’s it. Maybe they just got lost? Aang obviously can’t fly here._ Katara took a deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves and walked to the mouth of the cave where she finally – _finally_ – saw the pair returning. They appeared unharmed, laughing as they strolled into the beachside cave.

“Where were you two?!” Despite her best efforts to keep her voice calm, the worry was palpable in Katara’s voice. “What happened to you, Aang? You’re all dirty!”

Aang opened his mouth to explain, but was cut off by Katara’s gasp. She was looking at Toph, eyes twinkling with excitement.

“And Toph – your hair! It’s…”

Aang beamed, nudging the blind girl playfully. “She looks really pretty, right Katara? I’m telling you Toph, you should keep your hair like this.”

“I love it!” Katara squealed, “Oh Toph, you’ll let me style your hair, right? I always thought you would look really cute with hair loopies!”

Toph rolled her eyes at Katara’s enthusiasm but her mind lingered on Aang’s words. _Pretty, huh?_ Although she couldn’t visualize the concept, she knew its meaning and couldn’t deny that it was flattering to be called so.

Katara had come behind Toph and began to play with her hair. “So, what happened to the two of you today that got you, Aang, so dirty and Toph so styled?”

“Sorry, I was playing Hide and Explode with some kids after school! Toph was talking to some girl and she did her hair. On Ji, I think her name was.” Aang smiled as he untied his headband. The fabric was soaked with sweat and it was quite dirty. He’d definitely have to scrub it clean in order to wear it tomorrow. “It was so much fun, I’m looking forward to going back tomorrow!”

Sokka, who had been listening passively in the background, suddenly sat up straight. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

“You were with kids from a SCHOOL? WHAT? HOW? WHY?”

Aang laughed as he explained. “Yep, a school! These two guards just grabbed me off the street and took me there. I guess Toph felt that happening and she followed me.”

Toph nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but had I known you were going to _school_ I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“You say that, but I think you had fun today, Iroha!”

Sokka sighed dramatically. “Iroha? Who, what? You know what, whatever. We’re leaving tomorrow. You’re not going back to _school_ tomorrow.”

Aang was not ready to give up on going to school just yet. School was fun, and going made him feel like a normal kid and not a kid with countless past lives crammed into him. Suddenly, a sneaky idea that would play on Sokka’s interests sprouted in his mind. Aang felt a little diabolical for even having the idea. He felt like if he told Toph about it, she’d grin toothily and laugh. The thought made his heart beat a little faster, and the idea of Toph’s smile was approval enough for him to blurt it out.

“Well, I guess we won’t find out about the secret river. It runs straight to the Fire Lord’s mansion. We were supposed to discuss it in class tomorrow.” 

Sokka’s interest was piqued, just as Aang figured. The older boy leaned forward on his clasped hands thoughtfully. _Hook, line, and sinker!_

“I am a fan of secret rivers...” He paused thoughtfully, “Hmm, alright, Aang, you can go to school tomorrow! But be sure to take DETAILED notes on the secret river. I’m talking encyclopedic.”

Aang nodded. “Sure, sure. And Toph’ll go too? It’d be pretty weird if I showed up tomorrow without her.”

“Sure, fine. Toph, you make sure to uh…listen closely about the secret river. You’ll be the backup in case we lose Aang’s notes.”

Toph had felt Aang’s heartbeat being racing as he told the lie. She smirked knowingly, but nodded when Sokka asked her to listen closely to the lecture.

_Of course, I’ll listen to this very real lecture! Twinkletoes would never lie about having a lesson on a secret river to the Fire Lord’s palace._

“Flameo hotman!” Aang whooped joyfully as he ran to discard his dirty headband with his other belongings. 

The group shared a puzzled look. “Flameo?”

* * *

The next morning, Toph tried to hide her exhaustion as Aang dragged her down the road to the school. How one could be so chipper and enthusiastic less than an hour after waking up, she had no idea. She had woken up less than an hour ago and was too tired to bother saying ‘no’ when he asked to style her hair for the day. Aang had carefully brushed her long dark hair until it was tangle free and tied it up into a ponytail. He hadn’t said anything, but Toph could tell he was pleased with himself as he spent the walk to school commenting on how nice her hair looked and thinking out loud about what other styles he could try on her. Toph was just grateful that he had opted against the hair loopies Katara had styled on her yesterday.

The pair arrived at school shortly before the bell and slipped into their seats at the back of the classroom. Toph recognized On Ji’s vibrations coming towards her.

“Good morning, Iroha! I’m so happy to see that your hair is styled like I did yesterday!”

Toph sighed inwardly. It seemed On Ji was just as chipper as Aang in the morning. She hoped the smile she had on didn’t look too forced. “Yes, both Kuzon and his mom really liked it. In fact, Kuzon was the one who put it up for me today.”

On Ji clapped and turned towards Aang with a smile. “You did a great job, Kuzon! She looks so pretty.”

"Yeah, she really is!” Aang looked at Toph as he spoke, unsure if he was admiring his handiwork or her. She almost always had her hair covering half her face, and without it in the way, Aang enjoyed the unobscured view of her face and admired her delicate features, the only ‘delicate’ thing about her.

Toph didn’t think that Aang realized what he had just said. She quickly turned her face away from him and willed the blush that she absolutely didn’t want to rise on her cheeks to go away. On Ji suppressed a giggle.

“I agree! Anyway, I also wanted to let you know that today our class has our weekly music lesson. I hope you know how to play an instrument!”

The bell tolled and On Ji returned to her seat with a quick smile as the teacher greeted the class before shuffling them all along to the music room. Another teacher, an older man, greeted them. “Greetings students. I understand we have two new budding musicians joining us, Kuzon and Iroha.” He stated, gesturing to Toph and Aang. “I also understand that you are blind, Iroha. Are you able to play a musical instrument?”

Toph shook her head but cheered inwardly. _Thank the Spirits! Free time to kick back!_ Toph planned to use this time to think about everything but Aang calling her pretty. “No teacher, unfortunately I cannot play any instrument.”

“Quite alright. You may sit here next to me and silently appreciate the music.”

Toph resisted the urge to pump her fists excitedly and instead opted for a gracious smile. She took her seat next to the teacher who turned his attention to Aang. “Ah, Kuzon. You may play the tsungi horn for this class.” He waved the students to their proper seats on the bleachers and held his conductor’s baton aloft. “5, 6, 7, 8.”

Toph hadn’t thought that a class of 12-year-olds would be a symphony orchestra, but she didn’t think they’d be this bad. The string instruments screeched off-key and Aang was showing off his airbender lung capacity on the tsungi horn. It was difficult for her to enjoy her free period of sitting around with her ear drums being horribly assaulted.

“Stop, stop!” The teacher cried out. “Kuzon, child, what is that hullabaloo going on with your feet?”

_Twinkletoes is out here bursting my ear drums and you’re going on about his feet?_ Toph screamed internally. What was he doing exactly anyway? The bleachers were made of wood and she couldn’t feel anything, much less focus on anything with the cacophony of amateur musicians making her ears bleed.

“Oh, I was just dancing.” Aang offered. “You do have dances here in the homeland, don’t you?”

“Um, not really no.” Sansu replied. “We don’t really do that here.”

“I know sometimes we are so moved by our love for our nation that we can’t keep still.” The teacher explained passionately. “I suppose if the urge hits you again, you may march in place.”

Toph heard Aang sigh as he picked up the tsungi horn again and began to play it far less intensely than he had before. Although her ears were thankful for the change in tone, Toph couldn’t help but notice that she felt…bad for Aang. Not only was she feeling secondhand embarrassment for him (which she was shocked about in its own right), she knew better than anyone that Aang was a fidgety and flighty person who needed to move and express himself. This conformity that the school was imposing was the antithesis of Aang as a person. She knew the feeling of restriction of self-expression all too well.

After the music class ended, Toph stood from her seat and waited by the door for Aang. His usual chipper and ‘tippy-tappy’ vibrations were heavier and somber. _I guess the teacher calling him out embarrassed him or something._

“You didn’t have to wait for me.” His voice was soft, and she noted the somberness it carried.

“Uh, yeah I did. I need my valet.” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. “C’mon Kuzon, get with it.”

Aang breathed out a dry chuckle. “Haha, you’re right, Iroha.”

“I’m always right.” She smirked. “That’s why it’s totally alright for me to say that that teacher is an old windbag. I mean, I couldn’t feel it or anything, but I’m sure your dance was nice. You _are_ Twinkletoes, the Fancy Dancer, after all.”

The room was quiet for a moment before Aang let out a peal of genuine laughter. He took her hand and squeezed it gently, meandering out of the music room. “Thanks for that Toph. You really cheered me up. I just…ahh! I can’t believe they have no self-expression here. How can you not want to dance when playing music?”

_Um, easily?_ Toph almost blurted out before she caught herself. She opted instead to nod in agreement.

“It seems kinda… boring to be a kid in the Fire Nation. No fun allowed!” Aang led her to the courtyard of the school and the pair sat down on a bench in the sun. “It was not like this at all 100 years ago!”

“Hmm,” she hummed in agreement. 100 years seemed both incredibly long and incredibly short to Toph. She wondered how it must feel to Aang, being trapped in an iceberg for a century.

He noticed her lost in thought and nudged her gently. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep going on about that! I didn’t mean to bore you.”

She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t boring. Well, not extremely, anyway. I was just thinking.”

Aang leaned forward, trying to look into her eyes. “Oh? What about?”

_Oh, I was just wondering how time passes for you. Must be crazy to have been one of many airbenders one day and the next day you wake up, you’re the only one! Just thinking about how time passes for you._ Voicing that was definitely a bad idea. Toph racked her brain for an answer. “Oh, uh…remember how you said we could do something I want to today? Y’know, since you got to play Hide and Explode yesterday? I kinda want to have a bending battle. I want an extra-long though, since I was forced to listen to you play the tsungi horn today.”

Aang laughed. The sound was a lot more pleasing to her ears than his tsungi horn playing, and she was pleased that his mood was lifting. “Of course, Sifu Toph. That sounds fun!”

The two continued to plan their battle (details, details!) when they heard a voice call out.

“Kuzon!” On Ji ran to the bench the pair was sitting on. She offered him a sympathetic smile. “I just wanted to say that really liked that funky dance you were doing in music class today.”

Aang smiled. “Thanks, On Ji, I’d be happy to show you another one.”

On Ji opened her mouth to reply when a brutish voice cut in. “Oh, you’re going to show her something?” A brutish boy with brown hair stormed over to the bench. On Ji put her hands up in a placating motion, as if she were attempting to soothe a skittish koalasheep.

“Hide, stop. There’s no need to get upset.”

The boy – Hide – snorted and pushed her hands down.

“On Ji, babe, don’t feel like you need to hang out with the colony trash. They have each other.” Hide eyed Toph and Aang with contempt. “I think the blind brat and her lapdog should go back to their garbage can anyway.”

Before anyone could respond, a sharp _CRACK_ resounded. Hide doubled over, holding his palm to his face. Blood was dripping from his nose and trickled down his hand onto the pavement. He spat and a tooth tumbled onto the ground. Toph stood over him, her hand still curled into a fist.

“I’d help you find your tooth, but well…” she smirked and cracked her knuckles, “I’m blind.”

Hide wiped the blood from his face and got to his feet. He launched himself towards Toph and grabbed her wrist, twisting it. Aang and On Ji both moved to pry the two apart when their teacher rushed over.

“What in Ozai’s name is going on here?” Her eyes were wide as she saw the star pupil of the school cruelling twisting the arm of her small blind student.

“Teacher, it’s not what it seems!” Hide quickly dropped Toph’s wrist and pointed to his bloody nose. “She punched me in the face!”

“I think this situation calls for a meeting with your parents and the principal to discuss the next steps. Today, after school. Now, come Hide. You need to get cleaned up. On Ji, please help him to the nurse.”

Hide sniffed, trying to seem sympathetic as she shuffled after the teacher. Toph turned to Aang.

“So…should I send a message to my parents? Or do you know where I can find some?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special shoutout to my best friend for coming up with Toph's sassy line after she decks Hide. Originally after the fight with Hide, Toph was also going to say that "her lapdog knows better than to scrounge around for garbage", but ultimately I decided that might be going too far, even for Toph, and that Aang would think that was a bit much. 
> 
> I had really bad writer's block with this chapter and I was busy this week (happy birthday to me!), but I do hope you like it! A big 'thank you' to my reviewers :) They make my day!


	4. Conference

The principal sighed and rubbed his temples as he asked the question again.

“Can you please repeat your names for the record, please?”

The man in front of him stroked his beard and leaned back in his chair, eyes shining as he spoke. “Of course! My name’s Fire, Wang Fire! And this is my wife, Sapphire!” He gestured to the woman next to him who cradled her pregnant belly. She smiled sweetly and nodded. “Sapphire Fire, nice to meet you.”

The principal tried to hide his exasperation at the exuberant pair with the interesting last name. “Alright Mr. and Mrs.…Fire. I understand that you’re the current guardian of Miss…” He paused, unsure of the student’s last name. With so many rotating in and out of the school, it was hard to keep track of everyone but the students who had been there for years.

“Fong Bei!” Mr. Fire hopped up from his chair and placed his hand on the shoulder of the blind girl who sat in front of him. “Miss Iroha Fong Bei! Spirits bless her parents for giving my family and I a chance to work for them and to get to know this girl!”

“Right…Miss Fong Bei.” The principal folded his hands across his desk. “Now tell me, Mr. and Mrs. Fire, did Kuzon disclose to you the reason we called you here?” He eyed Mr. Fire warily. This man was unlike any other parent he had met. The principal chalked it up to Mr. Fire being a colonial man, far more heavily influenced by the Earth Kingdom than the other families here.

“Only that Iroha here had a bit of an…altercation with another student.” Mrs. Fire supplied. “I just can’t imagine what might’ve happened.”

“Indeed, neither can I. The student that she happened to have this altercation with is our school’s star pupil, and it turned violent. Miss Fong Bei here punched the other student in the face hard enough that he not only had a nosebleed, but a tooth got knocked out.”

Mrs. Fire gasped and brought a hand to her mouth in shock. She directed a pointed look to Iroha, who was seated between her and Mr. Fire. “Iroha, is this true?”

All eyes were now on Iroha. Her eyes fell to her lap and she gripped the seat of the wooden chair she was seated on tightly. For a moment, the young girl didn’t answer, but as the principal was about to prompt her, Iroha’s head jerked up. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

“It’s…it’s true!” Iroha began, still gripping the seat of the chair. “But it was an accident. You see, Kuzon had been talking to On Ji and this boy I didn’t know just comes over, twists my arm, and starts talking down to me because I’m from the colonies. I…I got scared and he was hurting me, so I punched him. I didn’t mean to hit him so hard or in the face, I just panicked and swung!” Her lip quivered and she wiped the tears from her eyes.

The principal hadn’t been expecting the student to burst into tears. He awkwardly handed a handkerchief to the sobbing student in front of him. “I see. Well, that certainly complicates things.” He turned his eyes to the boy he knew as Kuzon who was silently standing behind Mrs. Fire. “Kuzon, you were near when this incident happened. Did you see anything?”

All eyes turned to Aang, who had been standing silently behind Katara. His eyes widened. “Oh…um…”. His eyes wandered around the room and met Toph’s, rimmed red. She smirked at him and he instantly understood. _Back me up or so help me, Twinkletoes…_

“Yeah, what Iroha said is what I saw.” Aang moved behind Toph and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I was talking to On Ji, and Hide came over and startled her. On Ji and I both saw him twist her arm. We ran towards them, but by the time we got there, Iroha had punched Hide and he was on the ground.”

The principal nodded and scribbled a note down. “I see. Your story conflicts with what Hide told me, unsurprisingly. I will have to have Miss Ogino come here and tell me what she saw.” He looked up from the paper at Toph. “Miss Fong Bei, I understand that you were startled, as you are unable to see. However, we do not condone violence here and you did hit Hide rather brutally that I am going to have to consider a punishment for you. However, I will not be giving one today, as I need to talk with Miss Ogino to hear what she saw.” He stood up and moved in front of the family. “Miss Fong Bei be more mindful of your actions. And Kuzon, you should stay closer to her from now on, so we don’t have another incident like this. Now, you may leave.”

Sokka grabbed the principal’s hand and gave it an exuberant shake before grabbing Toph by the hand and pulling her out the door. Aang bowed hastily to the principal and followed closely on their heels. Katara left with a bow and nod. The group reconvened after they had all left the school’s premises.

“Spirits Toph! I have to say, I’m impressed you punched a kid so hard that you knocked a tooth out.” Sokka clapped a hand on her shoulder. “I’m strangely proud. You showed that little fire monster who’s boss.”

“I’m worried about what your punishment will be.” Katara said as she took her hair out of the buns.

“Eh, don’t worry about it, Sugar Queen.” Toph shrugged. “Besides, we probably won’t be here long enough for me to even have it.”

Katara sighed. “I just hope for your sake that that On Ji girl you and Aang mentioned will go along with your story. Speaking of your story, how true is it?”

“It’s mostly true, we just reorganized some of the events in it.” Aang chimed in. “And I don’t think you have to worry about On Ji. She seemed pretty appalled when Hide called me and Toph ‘colony trash’ and did try to pull Hide off of her. I’m sure she’ll tell the principal that Hide called us rude names even before Toph punched him.”

“Exactly! Nothing to worry about, Sugar Queen! Besides, Aang’ll have my back, regardless of what happens.” Toph wrapped her arms around Aang’s and jokingly batted her eyelashes at him. “You’ll protect me from that big jerk Hide and any other bullies, won’t you, Twinkletoes?”

Aang knew that Toph was playing around, but he couldn’t help but to relish the way she clung to his arm. He found himself again immensely grateful that Toph had let Katara style her hair that morning. He had been enjoying the unobscured view of her face, and seeing her flutter her eyelashes at him was incredibly cute. In fact, Aang found Toph herself _cute_. Sure, he had always been aware that she was a girl, and a nice-looking one at that (the memory of Toph and Katara dressed for the Earth King’s party for Bosco flashed in his mind), but now she was beginning to pop up in his mind in the way that Katara often did. Both in and out of school, Aang found himself increasingly wanting Toph’s approval and to see her smile. He wanted to be the _cause_ of her smile. He still wasn’t quite sure what to make of his feelings. However, when he looked at the girl clinging to his arm, he couldn’t help but smile. “Of course, I’ll protect you, T. You can count on me, always.”

Toph had been joking, but the sincerity in Aang’s voice made her stop. She turned her face away from him, hoping to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks, and coughed. “Y-yeah, I know. I mean, it’s good to know. Thanks, Aang.”

The group continued back to their cave hideaway in relative silence. Once at the mouth of the cave, Toph stopped and turned towards Aang.

“You said that you’ve been to the Fire Nation before the war, right?”

“Yeah! I used to come here to visit my friend, Kuzon.” Aang smiled at the memory of his long-departed friend. “We used to have so much fun together, playing pranks on the Fire Sages and stuff. I bet he would have loved Hide and Explode.”

“Your friend actually sounds fun, unlike most of the kids at school. I bet they don’t even know what pranks are.” Toph kicked the sand beneath her feet, making a spray of pebbles fly into the air. She imagined she was kicking Hide’s head. “I guess being born in the Fire Nation now makes you grow up boring and a bigot.”

“It stinks.” Aang agreed. He sat down on the sand and let it sift through his fingers. “It’s really disappointing. I mean, the war as a whole is, but I have memories of what the Fire Nation and the kids here were like before the war. Everything was so different then. People were so much more excited and open, definitely not boring or bigots. The war changed the world horribly in a lot of ways, but it’s pretty sad to see that these kids can’t just…be kids.”

Toph sat next to Aang and flopped back into the sand. He followed suit, their heads touching as their gazes fixed on the sky. Aang’s mind drifted to Kuzon. A memory of them accidentally crashing the debutant ball of a noble girl floated into his mind. He smiled as he remembered how embarrassed he and Kuzon had been to be caught by this family, but ultimately it ended up being fun. Aang had impressed the crowd with his air scooter and Kuzon had shown him and some of the guests some dances. Like a stampeding sabertooth mooselion, the idea barreled into his mind.

“What if we showed our class how to have fun? That they can just be kids?”

Toph snorted next to him. “Oh, are you going to give a lecture on it Professor Twinkletoes? That seems to be the only way these kids understand anything.”

“No, we’re going to do something that’s actually fun!” Aang grinned and pulled Toph to her feet, holding her hand in his. “I actually have an idea!”

“Oh?” She smirked. “I think I have an idea too, actually, of how we can show these guys what fun is.”

Aang grabbed her other hand so he was clasping both. “Let’s say our ideas at the same time then. That might be fun, now that we’re talking about it!” He swung their conjoined hands side to side as he counted. “One, two, three…”

“Dance party!”

“Bending battle!”

The pair looked at each other and laughed.

“Pfft, did you just say…dance party?”

“Well, you said bending battle! Not everyone can bend, and you’re an earthbender and we’re in the Fire Nation. I’m not sure that would go over well.”

“Whatever. I just figured it would be fun for everyone to watch me pulverize that stupid Hide into the ground. Obviously, I would be having an amazing time.”

“I think everyone would enjoy a dance party, Sifu T. Everybody likes dancing!”

Toph rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Not me. My parents had me trained in classical dance and I hate it.”

“Well, just because you know those dances doesn’t mean you have to do them.” Aang replied. “Dancing is about letting loose and having fun! It’s self-expression! It’s exactly what these Fire Nation kids need!”

“Ugh, I guess when you put it that way.” Toph groaned.

“Besides, even if we could have a bending battle, I’m sure none of these guys are on your level anyway for a fun bending battle. It’d just be me versus you.”

“Implying you’re on my level, Twinkletoes?” Toph let go of one of Aang’s hands and punched his arm.

He admired her smile as he rubbed his bruising arm. She replied for him before he could respond. “You’re not that far off. And you are right about the bending battle being…not a great choice here, unfortunately.”

“So, you’re agreeing to the dance party then?” Aang bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so excited to do something.

“Ugh, yeah. I could even try dancing, I guess. Just tell me if I start looking stupid. Like I said, I only know how to do a waltz and a squirrel-foxtrot.”

“I’ll dance with you! I mean, we could dance together!” Aang exclaimed. He was sure the excitement was palpable in both his voice and his heartbeat, and that Toph was well aware of it. He squeezed her hand. “I promise, I’ll make sure you won’t look stupid and that you’ll have fun. Avatar’s honor.”

If Toph could feel his heart racing, she didn’t mention it to him in that moment. Instead, she squeezed his hand back and looked at him with a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous smile. “Well, I can’t refuse an Avatar promise. Just make sure not to step on my feet and I’ll try not to step on yours. You'll need to be able to use them in the bending battle you owe me after this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I really like handholding, how can you tell?
> 
> I am really happy with how this chapter turned out! I hope I did Wang Fire justice :)
> 
> Additional note: On Ji's last name was taken from Chihiro's from 'Spirited Away', one of my favorite movies.
> 
> Special thank you again to my best friend who beta-ed this chapter for me and helped me through writers block! Thank you all for reading and a big thank you to my reviewers! Every single review has made my day!


	5. Dance Party

The next day, Toph and Aang hurried back to the cave to begin preparing for the dance party later that night. The pair had spent their breaks surreptitiously telling their classmates about the party, and by the time the school day had ended, the entire class was abuzz with the news of the contraband cave party being hosted by the two newest students. Toph couldn’t help but enjoy the attention that punching Hide and then hosting a dance party the next day brought to her.

“Well, I hate to admit it Twinkletoes, but you were right – those kids do seem like they’re looking forward to your dance party.” Toph kicked a rock and felt it skitter down the street. “On Ji was surprisingly excited when I told her.” Although she had only begrudgingly agreed to the party, she couldn’t help but find herself looking forward to it just a little bit, not that she was going to tell Aang that right now. At least it was nice to have Aang be so enthused about something. His excitement had been evident all day in his vibrations.

“I’m glad some kids are excited! Sansu seemed skeptical when I told him, but he promised that he’d come anyway.” Aang turned to Toph. “We’re going to make this a great party for them, T. We’ll show them that it’s important to just be a kid once in a while, and you and I know how to have fun together better than anyone!” The smile in his voice was infectious and Toph found herself smiling back.

“Very true. We should probably start setting up if we’re gonna host a secret dance party. I’ll race you back to the cave!” Toph suddenly bolted ahead, leaving a delighted but dazed Aang behind.

* * *

The preparation for the party was done quickly, in no small part to the two earthbenders. A stage and numerous tables were raised from the earth and candles were placed for lighting.

“I still can’t believe we’re throwing a dance party. It seems so…silly!” Sokka placed a candle on one of the tables as he admired the cave. He had to admit, he and Katara did a pretty good job with making decorations while Aang and Toph were at school.

“It might be nice to just have fun though.” Katara admitted as she hung up another garland of seashells. “We’ve had a rough couple of weeks, and we still have some time before the invasion. I think a little break is well deserved. Besides, it seems like Aang and Toph are having a lot of fun together.” Her eyes drifted to the pair who were returning to the main area after coaxing Appa to the back. She couldn’t suppress her smile as she watched the two young benders playfully rib each other. Something was going on with them and Katara was eager to watch it unfold.

Moments later, Toph alerted the group to the arrival of the students. Aang hurried to the mouth of the cave, brightly greeting each student. Once the bulk of the students arrived, the party began. The band Aang had found, the Flameos, began to play and Aang fascinated the students with old Fire Nation dances. The number of pounding vibrations moving out of sync was distorting Toph’s seismic sense uncomfortably. She needed a quiet moment to adjust and went to join the table she felt Katara sitting at.

A familiar presence approached the table as Toph sipped on a glass of juice.

“Iroha!” On Ji stopped next to the table, her hands clasped behind her back. “Are you not going to dance?”

Toph turned towards the girl’s voice, hand around her glass as she placed a bare foot on the ground. She picked Aang’s unique vibration out easily, despite the disorganized crowd muddling her vision. “Mm, yeah, I will, On Ji. Soon.” Her eyes unconsciously drifted in his direction. On Ji smiled.

“Oh, I see. You’re waiting for Kuzon, aren’t you?”

“What?” Toph sputtered, “Uh, no, I’m not. What makes you think that?”

Katara’s eyes widened at Toph’s scoffing. _Toph? Having a crush? On Aang?_ It was surprising, but she couldn’t help but find it adorable. She shared a commiserating look with On Ji.

 _Oh, poor Iroha doesn’t know her own feelings!_ Although she found it painfully charming, On Ji decided not to push further in that moment. “No reason”, she smiled and took Toph’s hand. “Well, will you come dance with me at least?”

Toph sighed with a wry smile as she let On Ji lead her to the dance floor. The other girl grabbed her other hand and the two began a shuffle, pushing and pulling each other’s hands as they moved their feet.

“So,” On Ji began, “Kuzon is a very talented dancer. I’ve been watching him all night. He knows all these old dances that I’ve never heard of!”

“Yeah,” Toph’s mind drifted back to her first meeting with Aang, where he had unceremoniously airbended her out of the fighting ring at Earth Rumble VI. “He’s kind of a fancy dancer. I actually called him that when we first met, before I even knew his name.”

On Ji giggled. “That’s so accurate! He’s really good! The whole class is pretty much watching him.” She leaned close to Toph’s ear and her voice dropped to a whisper. “But he can’t take his eyes off you!”

Toph couldn’t hide the blush rising to her cheeks despite her best efforts. “Probably because he’s supposed to be my companion and he’s off la-di-dahing. He probably just wants to make sure I don’t go wander off. That’s probably why he plopped me down with Dung over there. She’s my…personal chef.” She gestured to Katara.

“Hmm, I’m not so sure, but you do know him better than I do.” On Ji winked as they continued their shuffle. Abrupty, On Ji stopped and squeezed Toph’s hands. “Ah, Kuzon is coming this way!”

* * *

Aang danced and dodged nimbly through the joyful throng of students until he reached Toph and On Ji near the edge of the group. “There you are!” He called out as he approached them. “I was looking for you.” Despite having just shown off two century-old Fire Nation dances, Aang felt exhilarated and energized. He grinned lopsidedly as he tightened the headband threatening to slip down his forehead

“Actually, I heard that you’ve been looking at me all night.” Toph simpered. She could feel his heart rate accelerate as he began to ramble. On Ji threw an apologetic look to the boy who was now stumbling over his words.

“I wasn’t, well I mean, you see…” Why were words becoming so hard to use?

She flicked him in the forehead and stuck her tongue out jokingly. “Relax Twinkletoes, I’m only teasing you. Now, what’s up?”

“Our dance! You said we could yesterday.” He grinned as he took her hand. “You don’t mind if I take her, right, On Ji?”

On Ji couldn’t say no to Kuzon’s imploring gaze. She nodded to the boy with the headband and stepped back, allowing him to take Iroha’s hand. On Ji was delighted to have a front row seat to this unfurling relationship. “No, not at all! Thank you for dancing with me, Iroha! Let’s talk later!” Excited, she turned and headed towards the table Iroha had been sitting at with Dung, whose eyes were also trained on Iroha as Kuzon led her to the center of the dance floor. On Ji sat down next to her.

“Aren’t they cute together?” On Ji whispered.

Dung nodded. “I’ve spent so much time with both of them, I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming sooner.”

“Kuzon and Iroha are really two turtleducks of a feather, Dung!”

The other girl gave her a perplexed look before sighing and rubbing her temple. “That’s not my…I mean, yes. They really are.”

Katara made a mental note to call a truce with Toph and ban the name Dung from the rotation when a fake name was needed as she and On Ji continued to watch the pair.

* * *

The dance floor was alive and spirited as the once timid students now danced and swayed to the Flameos. Toph took a moment to adjust to the fast-paced vibrations of dancers. The lack of rhythm in their vibrations was disorienting her again, but Toph steadied herself by focusing on Aang’s. _Thank the Spirits he has such dainty footsteps!_

“I hope you’re not expecting anything fancy from me, Twinkletoes.” she sighed as Aang led her to the center of the dance floor. “Like I said, I only know ballroom dancing.”

Aang smiled gently as he placed one of her hands on his shoulder. “I know, which is why I thought we could improvise one of those a bit and make it our own.” He took her other hand in his, while his left hand hovered an inch above her waist. Sighing, Toph grabbed his hand and placed it in the appropriate position.

“It’s fine, Aang.” She pretended not to notice his wild heartbeat. “Let’s dance then, yeah? I’m guessing you’re going to take the lead?”

“Y-yeah, I was planning to. That’s ok, right? I mean, you can be the lead if you wan-.”

She squeezed his hand to steady his nerves. “You lead. We’re already set up that way.”

With a deep breath, Aang nodded and the pair began to do a basic waltz. Toph was unsurprised that Aang knew this dance, as it was simple compared to the dances she had heard him showing the students before. However, she was taken aback by the grace he exuded while dancing. Had she known he could dance like this, she wouldn’t have suggested that he be a busboy at the Earth King’s party in Ba Sing Se.

“You’re not half-bad, Twinkletoes. Where’d you learn to dance like this?”

“I think I actually learned this dance in Omashu before the war!”

The tempo of the music began to increase. Students began to circle around them to watch the pair. Aang leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“They’re all watching us, Sifu T.”

“Good. I didn’t suffer through years of ballroom dance lessons to _not_ be watched.” Smirking, she quickened the pace of their dance even more. What was once a slow waltz was now a quickstep, and the students watching were enamored by their classmates’ impressive whirling and gliding across the dance floor.

“Is this why they’re hosting a dance party? They’re both so good!”

“Wow, Iroha is amazing at dancing. I never would have guessed”

“Kuzon is so talented, I wonder if he’ll dance with me next.”

Aang couldn’t help but smile as he overheard the students thrilled murmuring. He had wanted to show the students how to have fun, and what better way to show them than through a demonstration with Toph? If they had actually discussed a secret river to the Fire Lord’s palace in class, Aang was completely unaware; he had spent the whole period daydreaming about that night and debating what dance to do with her. Now, he couldn’t tell if she or the music was the one dictating the dance.

As the band ended their jaunty tune, an exhilarated Aang ended the dazzling dance by dipping Toph. He looked at the girl in his arms. Toph was grinning back at him, her eyes bright and shining with elation. His eyes drifted towards her mouth for a moment before he remembered where they were. Swallowing his embarrassment, Aang lifted her back up as the students applauded and cheered at the impressive display. His smiled dumbly at the crowd; he was intoxicated by his charismatic _and beautiful_ dance partner.

Suddenly, silence fell onto the cave as the music screeched to an unceremonious halt and the student’s clapping and cheering ceased, pulling Aang out of his reverie. The students turned towards the mouth of the cave where an irate principal and snickering Hide stood.

“It is a dancing party! You did the right thing telling me, Hide. And you say Iroha is the one who is throwing it?”

“Yes sir. It was definitely Iroha and that Kuzon kid who planned this.” Hide bowed deeply to ingratiate himself further to the principal. He hadn’t expected the girl who punched him the face to do something so stupid. She had practically handed him the opportunity to ruin her!

The principal himself was outraged. Not only were all the students at his school out partying like hooligans in a cave, one of his new students who had already caused a major incident was behind this dance party. He was fuming. Iroha had made a complete fool of him. He snapped his fingers to get the attention of the school officers who came with him. “End this now. And get the blind girl and her friend in the headband.”

The guards ran into the crowd of students, searching for the duo. What should have been an easy search for the two students turned out to be far more difficult. Many of the students were now sporting ponytails and headbands, making it difficult to differentiate between them, and it was almost impossible to scan the crowd for the girl’s cloudy eyes in the midst of the chaos.

Toph had felt the crowd of vibrations approaching, but had assumed them to be straggling students. She hadn’t expected it to be Hide and the principal. _What a suck-up. Guess Hide’s idea of fun is kissing ass._

“As much as I want to fight that loser, I think we better get out of here, Twinkletoes.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the crowd to the back of the cave. “I bet we could get out that way, meet Katara and Sokka by Appa, and be on our way,”

Aang agreed with her quick assessment of the situation and the pair weaved their way through the crowd towards the back of the cave. Sansu tied his belt around his head as Aang had been wearing it. Understanding passed between the two and with a smile and a discreet wave, Sansu bid his two classmates farewell and tapped the shoulder of another student and told him to tie his belt around his head as Kuzon had done.

Toph and Aang reached the back of the cave and met up with Katara and Sokka, who had also pushed their way to the back amidst the chaos. The group darted into the dark passageway and headed towards where Appa and Momo were hiding. In a quick movement, Aang quickly sealed the opening, leaving the pandemonium of the dance party behind them. 

* * *

Once in the sky, Sokka and Katara quickly fell asleep in Appa’s saddle, leaving Toph and Aang awake, both still buzzed with adrenaline from the evening. Toph scooched her way over to the front of the saddle, closest to where Aang was seated on top of Appa’s head. Positioning herself against him, she allowed herself to lean back, resting the top of her head on the base of his neck. She closed her eyes as she spoke. “I think it’s safe to say you succeeded in showing those kids how to have fun.”

“Yeah, everyone seemed like they had a great time! Well, until Hide and the principal showed up.” Aang sighed, as he tightened his grip on Appa’s reigns. “I just hope the other kids don’t get into too much trouble.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. The principal didn’t even get back to me about that punishment I was supposed to get, not that I was going to serve it anyway. It’ll take him a while to think of something to do.”

Aang chuckled. _Leave it to Toph to wave something like this off._ He twisted to face her. She shifted and grabbed his arm to steady herself. Aang felt like his arm was on fire as she wrapped her delicate fingers around his forearm.

“Y’know Twinkletoes, I’ve danced with others before, but I think you’re the best dance partner I’ve had by far.”

“Really?” Aang couldn’t hide his excitement. He was thrilled with her praise. Genuine compliments from Toph were scarce and he valued every one he received from her.

“Yeah. I know I called you the Fancy Dancer when we first met, but you really proved to me tonight that you are.” She laughed. He loved her laugh. It was what led him to her after all.

“I wish we could have danced longer.” Aang trusted Appa could pilot himself for a while. He climbed over the saddle to sit next to Toph. “There was something I wanted to do…” He fiddled with his fingers, unsure how to broach the topic. He wasn’t sure what she would think or how she’d react if he outright said he’d wanted to kiss her while they danced.

“What? What is it?” The skittishness and apprehension in his voice was palpable. “If you want to dance again, I _guess_ I won’t say no. We could probably make it into a training exercise with earthbending or something.”

“No! I mean, yes, I want to dance again and that sounds fun, T. I was…I actually wanted to do something else though…” Aang stammered. _Spirits, why can’t I just ask her?_

“Just say it!” Her patience was wearing thin.

“O-oh, well, um…”

“Aang!”

Adrenaline coursed through Aang’s veins as he leaned forward and kissed Toph. His mind was racing. _Spirits, why did I do that? She’s gonna kill me!_ He hoped that he would be a valuable help to the new Water Tribe avatar that was sure to be born in the next few minutes. His fear dissipated as he felt her hesitantly kissing him back.

The pair pulled apart tentatively. Aang had never seen Toph blush before and marveled that he caused it. He felt strangely proud. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“So, that’s what you wanted to do?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

She smiled impishly and rested her head on his shoulder. “Not bad Twinkletoes, but I think maybe we could practice that more. Maybe after the bending battle you owe me.”

He laughed joyfully. “I can’t wait!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter since the wait for it was a bit long! Life got a bit busy again.
> 
> I truly hope that you guys enjoyed the story and that I did Taang the justice it deserves :) It was so much fun to write! BIG thanks for @toughbeifong for helping me out and beta'ing this!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and a special thank you to my reviewers! Each and every review makes my day!


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